On the meaning of shadows.

The other day, I had just finished a morning run and because I had gotten started a little earlier than usual, the sunrise was maybe only 30 minutes into the day. I turned away from the sun, so it was at my back, and surveyed the Bay. Then I looked down, and stretching before me was my shadow. It was l-o-n-g.

Not having much else to do, besides recover a bit, I started thinking about what a shadow means. Is there any rhyme or reason to their length, beyond the obvious fact that the position of the sun plays the main role?

I think there is.

At the start of the day, your shadow is long because it represents the opportunities before you. It’s like a red carpet that’s been rolled out to great you and at the end lie hopes and dreams and luck.

By midday, your shadow has shortened to near non-existence. Which makes sense, because you probably aren’t doing much hoping and dreaming. Instead, you’re hard at work, nose to the grindstone, not thinking so much about what’s next, but rather what needs to happen now.

In the evening, your shadow is once again long. But now it represents obstacles more than opportunities. It shows you the true reality of what you want, a reality you now know is difficult to achieve, especially after trying to reach it all day long. Doubt lengthens your shadow. Bad luck. Missed chances.

And tomorrow it starts all over again.

Unless, of course, the weather erases all shadows. Not sure what that means…